Eight new Earth observation projects have begun in Spain following a joint co-funding call from ESA InCubed and the Spanish Space Agency (AEE). With a combined investment of €3m, the initiatives are designed to improve how Spanish wildfires are anticipated, detected, monitored and managed. The projects, which signed contracts with ESA InCubed and began in July 2026, bring together satellite Earth observation, artificial intelligence (AI), meteorological modelling and other technologies. Their applications cover different stages of wildfire management, from prevention and risk forecasting to active-fire monitoring and post-fire assessment. The programme comes as the need for stronger wildfire capabilities has become increasingly urgent. Heatwaves, prolonged drought and changing weather patterns are contributing to wildfires becoming more frequent, intense and difficult to predict, while recent Spanish wildfires have highlighted the threat to communities, ecosystems and infrastructure. Commenting on the initiative, Carlos Urbina Ortega, End-to-end System Engineer at ESA Φ-lab Invest Office and InCubed Officer for the management of this national campaign in Spain, said: “Wildfires are becoming faster and more dangerous, threatening lives, homes and ecosystems. …